Juls Stodel -The Big Bothy Adventure & Finding History in the Landscape
Juls Stodel is a writer, long-distance hiker, TGO (The Great Outdoors) magazine columnist, and trustee of the Mountain Bothy Association. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Juls has a deep love of history, wild places, and slow adventure.
In this episode, Juls shares the story behind her ambitious Big Bothy Adventure – a journey to visit and spend a night in all 104 Mountain Bothy Association bothies across Scotland. Rather than racing from one destination to the next, Juls embraces a slower, more meaningful approach to adventure, giving herself permission to follow side quests, connect with people she meets along the way, and explore the rich human history woven into the landscape.
We also dive into her experience walking the Wales Coast Path during the storm-filled winter of 2021/22, navigating broken tents, loneliness, river crossings gone wrong, and the importance of asking for help when you need it. Juls speaks openly about working with a therapist while on trail, why there is no one-size-fits-all approach to wellbeing, and how walking has become an important part of her life despite growing up with dyspraxia and never considering herself sporty.
This conversation is full of stories about bothies, kindness, resilience, history, and the joy of exploring at your own pace. Juls also shares practical advice for anyone dreaming of their first adventure, reminding us that the biggest obstacle is often not the world around us, but doubting our own ability to cope when things don't go to plan.
If you've ever been curious about bothies, long-distance walking, or finding confidence through adventure, this episode is for you.
⚠️ EXPLICIT: One F-bomb dropped! Listener discretion advised.
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Show notes
Who is Juls
Living in Edinburgh, Scotland
Working as a columnist for the TGO Magazine (The Great Outdoors)
Going on a Big Bothy Adventure - visiting all 104 MBA Bothies and staying the night at each one
Trustee of the Mountain Bothy Association
Not being a sporty kid and having dyspraxia (which affects your balance and co-ordination)
Going on long walks and being introduced to the outdoors with her Dad
Discovering bothy’s in her mid-twenties by accident
Visiting her first bothy close to Hadrian’s Wall
Her love of history and nature
Why it wasn’t going to be a traditional thru-hike
Giving herself permission to go off on side quests and to join other people on their journey's
Not wanting to get lonely
Not wanting her challenge to become a chore or a checklist
Walking the Wales Coast Path (WCP) over the winter of 2021/22
Dealing with multiple storms, broken tents, and other challenges
Getting her equipment and gear from Wild Bounds
The long boring bits and feeling very isolated
Doing a lot of hiking previously, especially the UK National Trails
Why she loves hiking
Dealing with low points on the trail
Working with a therapist and speaking to them every week while on the WCP
How a sense of movement can help
Why there isn’t a one size fits all approach
Why we need to be careful about the conversation around health and healing in nature
What hiking looks like for Juls
Starting walking at 9 am
Why it’s not about keeping to the exact route
Using the route as a guide and being less strict with herself now
Doing it for the plot!
The standout moments from the WCP
Why the Pembrokeshire Coast path was a real highlight
Meeting people on the trail
The kindest of strangers
Having the opportunity to go and visit all the bothies
What is a bothy?
Bothy rules to be aware of
The Bothy Code - based on respect
Guirdil Bothy - Isle of Rum
The people she’s met while on the Bothy Adventure
Leaving postcards at every Bothy
Doing the Skye Trail the September before
When things go wrong…
Snow, sausages and a sled!
Having an advice column - for TGO Magazine
The lessons learned from the Big Bothy Walk
Why the most experience you have, you can find new things to be sacred off
Cows on the WCP and going on big detours to avoid them now
Being taken away by the water during a river crossing and having to call Scottish Mountain Rescue to get help
Needing to do a reset and get new gear
Heading back when the rains had cleared
Why you should call Mountain Rescue when you need to
The power of nature
Her love of history and where it comes from
Moving from the Netherlands to the UK
Joining a young archeologist club and how it inspired her
The importance of learning/keeping the history of the ordinary people
History from a number of the bothies
100 Scottish Islands Project
Getting to see other places that she wouldn’t get to see normally
76 islands done so far
Having to make a plan to see the islands on the North East Coast of Scotland
Great joy
Follow Juls on Instagram
Many women are curious about starting an adventure but haven't taken the first step yet.
The biggest barrier is often not fear of strangers or external dangers.
Instead, it's doubting their own ability to cope when things go wrong.
Trust that you are more capable than you think.
When challenges arise, you'll often find the strength and resourcefulness to deal with them in the moment.
Avoid overthinking every possible scenario before you begin.
Confidence grows through experience, not by waiting until you feel completely ready.
You are capable of far more than you give yourself credit for—you just don't know it yet.
Social Media
Instagram: @over_stepping
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